


Faulty Programming

by spazzer



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Drama, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Post Turn Turn Turn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-18 20:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1441753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spazzer/pseuds/spazzer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Several drabbles exploring Ward's particular behavior at the end of Turn, Turn, Turn. SPOILERS. Slight Skyeward. Each drabble is a different possibility. May vary in format.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. He Wonders

**Author's Note:**

> Last night's episode was insane. And I realized I had to write something, or multiple somethings, to help me get through the next week. I know there are still some requests I need to do for my drabble series but I'm too emotionally compromised right now to write happy things. This drabble explored the idea that maybe something happened to Ward during that moment during his fight with the 12 guys that we didn't see.

Within his own mind, he could not escape. It was like watching a movie, as if it wasn’t him making every move, every sound. He wasn’t in control of himself. He was stuck fighting some force that drove him forward, that had his arms and legs moving on automatic, like a machine.

Skye might have been right in her earlier teasing. Maybe he was a robot.

He felt cold, numb. The last feeling he remembers is a slice one of the guards had swiped at him when he was fighting them. And then, nothing.

He remembers everything else, but he doesn’t have any emotions or feelings to associate with them. He thinks one of the men he was fighting might have whispered something in his ear as he was throwing a punch towards his jaw.

He thinks maybe it’s why he doesn’t seem to have control.

When he kills those agents, them and Victoria Hand, he can’t recall wanting to. He can’t recall ever thinking he should do that. But then again, he didn’t want to be on that plane anyways. Somehow, he ended up there anyways.

In some dank and cramped corner of his mind, he wonders if anything he’s done in his entire career is real if somehow he ended up here, sitting stone-faced in a plane with John Garrett, his old SO.

He wonders if maybe he was always Hydra, and everything he ever did was always for the Hydra cause. Saving Simmons from jumping out of the BUS, playing Battleship with Skye, sleeping with May…

Then, he wonders if he never wanted to actually protect Skye. He wonders if he never developed feelings for her. Maybe it was all a glitch in his programming.

Maybe he never felt anything for real.

And yet he wonders if he’d ever get the chance to get a drink with Skye.


	2. Depends on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, you’re a damn good double crosser, Ward. You sure did learn from the best.” Garrett smiled, baring his teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea comes from the question, “What if he’s doing this because he wants to protect someone?”

“You know, you’re a damn good double crosser, Ward. You sure did learn from the best.” Garrett smiled, baring his teeth. “I had an idea you’d see things my way if I put in a little insurance. I do have Mr. Peterson at my beck and call, after all. I’m sure if I asked, he’d gladly take care of those loose ends we left at The Hub.”

Ward only stared straight ahead, his eyes blank and empty.

“And I know how much you like that pretty little thing with the impressive hacking skills.” Garrett crossed his arms over his chest, slumping in his seat lazily. “You made the right choice, kid. And when the time comes, maybe you can convince her to give us what we want without reaching a disagreement. It’d be a shame to waste her talent.”

Ward’s eyes flicked down to the floor and he let a small puff of air escape from his lips. The room felt colder and colder by the minute.

“We could use her skills. She might be the only one who can decrypt everything on that flash drive she gave you. Oh, the things on that flash drive could do Hydra so much good.”

“She’s not gonna help us.”

Garrett flicked his eyes in Ward’s directions, his eyebrows moving upward in false surprise. “No? Well, if she doesn’t, she dies. You could probably convince her to join you anyways. Sweet thing would want to be with her boyfriend, don’t you think?”

Ward’s lips parted and his jaw tensed as he stared at his SO. “You said she’d be safe.”

His SO smirked, glancing at the guns to his side and back to Ward, who was currently without a gun or icer. “Well, that depends on you, doesn’t it?”


	3. Let's Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He asked me out before all this. Said he wanted to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scenario is based on the idea that maybe, he has complete free will. This one is mostly Skye talking but Ward isn't supposed to be under anyone's control in this.

“If you’d just _listen_ to m—“

Skye swung her head, letting her hair be thrown over her shoulder and to her back. “Oh, _no._ You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore. You’re no longer my SO.” A quiet rage took her over in that moment, and flooded her features with a calm that could only come before a storm.

Ward shook his head in exasperation, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t you see? With HYDRA, you could live in a world of _peace!”_ He threw his hand out at Skye in a pleading manner, willing her to understand.

She shook her head in defiance, pursing her lips tightly and keeping her gun pointed straight at Ward. After a moment’s pause, she finally opened her mouth, narrowing her eyes further as she did so. “HYDRA can’t be selling any kind of peace I’m interested in.” She tightened her grip on her gun, still aimed directly at Ward’s chest.

“Do you think this is a game, Ward? Did you think that I could ever trust you after this? Did you think I’d still be up for that drink, or talk? I’ve got bad news for you.” Her lip curled into a sneer as she continued.

“The moment you killed Victoria Hand was the moment you decided you didn’t want our trust. You have your loyalty to Garrett. I have my loyalty to Coulson.”

Frustrated, he grabbed the chair near him and hurled it into the ground, causing it to break into several chunks of wood. He was hunched over, breathing heavily as he stared at Skye. With a pause, he spoke, “You won’t do it. You won’t shoot.”

Skye’s sneer turned to a biting smile. “Doesn’t matter if I do or don’t. My mission was to keep you preoccupied. Doesn’t mean I won’t though.” Swiftly, with every ounce of pent up rage, and betrayal built up inside her, she pulled the trigger, letting loose one of the icer’s bullets.

Ward fell with a thud.

A moment later, May came into the room, FitzSimmons trailing behind her. Warily, she glanced down at Ward’s unconscious body. “You could have shot him with the icer when we first got here. You didn’t need to wait.”

Bitterly, Skye smiled, tears starting to lace her eyelids. “He asked me out before all this. Said he wanted to talk. It was a little one sided.”


	4. Focus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He is a soldier, awaiting commands from his superior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last drabble in this mini drabble series. This one is more to finish with the actual reason behind Ward being Hydra, as said in episode 18 about Garrett pulling Ward out of Hell and Ward owing him everything.

Garrett got him away from his toxic family. Garrett is the reason he became a specialist. He gave him a purpose. He gave him a faceless target to pound his fists into and to blindly fire off bullet after bullet into. Ward owes Garrett everything.

As he marches towards the inevitable bloodbath that will soon take place, he thinks of the numbers. Thousands of SHIELD agents will die. Thousands of HYDRA agents will more than likely die as well. He and Garrett won’t be killed. They’re too good at not dying.

Chances are, people he once worked with, acquaintances, will die as well. He won’t mourn them.

Still, he tries to halt the thoughts forcing their way into his head about the death toll. He doesn’t want to know the fallout. All Grant Douglas Ward knows is how to survive, how to fight. And so he will survive, and fight, until one side is the victor and the other is nothing more than limp, lifeless bodies, piling up and painted with red.

He is a soldier, awaiting commands from his superior. He is a drone, waiting for the programming to update and for any viruses to be weeded out. He is a man with a debt to pay and only one form of payment to use.

He was broken, and nearly unfixable, until Garrett found him. He was hollowed out and filled with unfocused rage. He raged at everything, and everyone. Garrett gave him a target.

His wires spray sparks every now and again. His circuits burst and need replacing. His fists become unhinged and his eyes lose visual.

But Garrett fixes him up. He reminds him of who he was. Ward does not want to be that boy again.

He is a soldier, awaiting commands from his superior.


End file.
